Ukok Plateau

The Ukok Plateau (Russian: Укок) is a beautiful plateau covered with grasslands in southwestern Siberia. It sits in the Altai Mountains area of Russia, close to the borders with China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. This special place is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site called the Golden Mountains of Altai.

The Ukok Plateau is very important for nature because it gives a home to many animals that are in danger of disappearing. One of these is the snow leopard, a big cat that is hard to study. Other animals that live there and need protection include the argali mountain sheep, the steppe eagle, and the black stork. The plateau is also one of the last places left where the ancient mammoth steppe can still be found.

The Ukok Plateau faces some problems. Too many ranchers use the land for their animals, and there are plans to build a road and a gas pipeline between China and Russia. These changes could hurt the plants and animals that live there.

Terminology

In Mongolian, the word uheg means something like "long box" or a big mountain with a flat top. In Kyrgyz, the word ukok was used for mountains with flat tops, called plateaus.

Geography

The Ukok Plateau is a high, grassy plain between the South Altai and Sailugem mountain ranges. It is 2,200 to 2,500 metres above sea level. Some mountain peaks are over 500 metres higher than the plateau. The highest point is Tavan-Bogdo-Ula, where Khüiten Peak stands at 4,374 metres tall. This is the second-highest peak in Siberia after Belukha Mountain. The area is like the ancient mammoth steppe environment.

History

Pazyryk is the name given by scholars to an ancient people who lived in the Altai Mountains on this plateau. They are known for amazing discoveries, including frozen mummies found in the permafrost. Many ancient Bronze Age tomb mounds have been found here. These tombs are called kurgan. One famous discovery is known as the Ice Maiden. Many tattooed mummies have been found preserved in the ice in tombs on the Ukok Plateau.

Transport

The Ukok Plateau can be reached by dirt roads through areas between Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. These roads lead to places like the Teplyi kluch pass, which is very high up. From a village called Kosh-Agach, travel is easier because there is a better road called the M52 highway.

Further south from Kosh-Agach, the land becomes hard for most vehicles. Only special off-road vehicles can manage, but they might still get stuck in mud, especially after frost melts. Often, these mountain paths are covered in snow and can be dangerous because of falling snow and earth movement during the summer.